


We Once Loved

by YesYourGrace



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:35:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26706097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YesYourGrace/pseuds/YesYourGrace
Summary: Lain and Tiadrin fell in love easily as if it were as natural as breathing. Runaan and Ethari stumbled into love around them, all thanks to a weapon, a disappointment, and an assassination.
Relationships: Ethari/Runaan (The Dragon Prince), Lain/Tiadrin (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	We Once Loved

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! Thanks for checking out the story. I'm hoping to produce longer chapters after the Prologue but I wanted a little teaser set up for what's to come. Enjoy! Feedback is always welcome.

Prologue- The Pole Arm

"Lain!" He stood as straight as he possibly could. The instructor approached him, an older woman with long tapered horns and a grumpy expression on her face. "You're wearing your beads backwards, kid." Lain didn't look down, he was used to these kinds of discussions. 

"No, ma'am. With all due respect, I'm not." She glared. 

"The double strand hangs on the warrior's left, Lain, or did you forget?" She was building up to a lecture now, getting loud enough to draw the attention of other warriors around them. 

"No, again. The second strand hangs away from the warrior's weapon arm. For you, that's the left. For me, it's the right." Her face soured. 

"Oh, I see. Lefty then... Well, don't look so smug about it! Get out of my sight before I find something else for you to do." Lain didn't have to be told twice. He gave as quick a hail as he could before running off. A few snickers trailed him as he booked it away from the stern instructor. 

"Hard ass..." he grumbled when he was far enough away. 

"You're not wrong." Lain jumped at the voice over his shoulder. The speaker laughed. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Can I help you?" The man had broad bare shoulders with light periwinkle colored markings running down the length of his arms. His skin was distinctly darker than the other elves of the silver grove, sharply contrasted with his white hair. He gave Lain a bright smile like he was an old friend. Lain glanced at his surroundings. 

"Uh, I don't really know. What exactly do you do?" He gave Lain a confused look. 

"Well a bit of everything, really, but since this is the foundry let's just go with that." Lain laughed at his own mistake. 

"Right, I guess I could've picked up on that. I don't need anything, but I'll do whatever I can to get away from Artaine. Show me what you've got my friendly foundryman!" 

"Just Ethari is fine," Ethari deadpanned and gestured for Lain to follow him. 

"Ethari, that's a unique name. I'm Lain." The two walked into a small storeroom of gleaming weapons. Ethari leaned against a work bench while Lain began to stroll slowly around the room examining each piece. "You made all this?" He finally asked. 

"No," Ethari replied, "not all of it. I'm still apprenticing for now. My work is mostly down here," he bent down and pulled out crates from under the benches. Lain didn't know weapons as well as some of the other warriors, and certainly not as meticulously as the assassins, but he could still appreciate the beauty of the weapons Ethari had made. Each blade was painstakingly etched with fine grooves. Some of the weapons almost appeared to be segmented, though he couldn't imagine why a dagger would need to be assembled in three parts. Maybe the assassins wanted more compact weapons. He didn't know, but he didn't care. The crate of Ethari originals was still marvelous to him. 

"Ethari, these are beautiful. Why are they shoved under a table?" Ethari flushed with embarrassment. 

"Like I said, I'm still an apprentice. Anything I make isn't sold. It's all just side projects, ideas I have and work in my free time." Lain pouted dramatically. "You get free time? Forget warrior training, how do I become a foundryman?" Ethari laughed.

"You get a very gilded invitation to move to and study in the Moonshadow capitol city- er, Grove as it were." 

"So, you aren't from the Silvergrove, then?" Lain asked. Ethari shifted his weight around awkwardly. 

"No, I'm not. I've only lived here for about six moons. But I've sort of learned that immigration into the grove isn't common. I take it you were born and raised here?" Lain shrugged casually. He squatted down to rifle through the box of Ethari originals while they chatted. 

"Yeah. My family's been here for generations. We boast some relation to the High elf Dulaine, but so can every other family that's born and bred here."

"So I've heard," Ethari quipped with a smirk. "See anything you like?" he asked, gesturing to the crate. Lain rose empty-handed.

"I like it all, but to be honest I tend to use the polearm or scythe weapons mostly. Everything in here is great but probably more at home in the hands of the assassin's guild. Listen, I should probably get back, but it was good to meet you. Let me know if you make something more my style, I'll be glad to give it a go." And with that, Lain departed out into the bright sunlight. 

Ethari watched him go a little wistfully. He seemed nice, and certainly more friendly than most he'd met since arriving in the Silvergrove. Most of the elves gave him odd looks when he first arrived. He hadn't realized how different he looked to other Moonshadow elves before. Back in the city of his birth he had always been told how little he resembled his mother, that he was the spitting image of his father, the Moonshadow elf. It was very clear to him after arriving in the Silvergrove that he had absolutely inherited his mother's darker Sunfire complexion. Lain hadn't seemed to react at all to his different appearance, though Ethari knew better than to assume he hadn't noticed. At the very least Lain had elected to keep his thoughts and attitude about it to himself; he appreciated that. And if he was honest with himself Lain was decently good-looking, taller than him by half a head with short cropped side swept hair and bright tawney eyes. Ethari entertained his imagination for only a moment before quelling the thoughts. He barely knew the guy! But the Silvergrove was getting to be a painfully lonely place and if he could make a friend, never mind the romantic inclinations, that would be a step in the right direction. It certainly wasn't worth the best apprenticeship in all Xadia if he was downright miserable. 

He shoved the crate back into place under the work bench and strode over to the wall of master crafted weapons. He studied the staff weapons for a while, pondering what creative solution he could find for his new potential friend. Perhaps a unique weapon that could be wielded with his left hand and be an ambidextrous weapon if need be. 


End file.
